No. 348, September 1998

Japanese Companies in the US

PRECISION AND MEDICAL EQUIPMENT

A Los Angeles start-up that runs centers performing surgical
vision correction, or refractive surgery, has gained an instant
presence in Japan by acquiring a firm in the same business. Under a
contract signed in June, VISION CORRECTION CENTERS bought VISC JAPAN
K.K. for an undisclosed amount and converted the Tokyo company into
its subsidiary. VCC will train ophthalmologists in the surgical
treatment of such problems as nearsightedness at a cost of $6,900 to
$10,300. Once it has a core of skilled surgeons, VCC will start
opening refractive surgery centers across the country. Within a year,
it hopes to have 10 such centers in operation.

Having decided to divest some slow-growth secondary product lines,
PROCTER & GAMBLE CO. sold Japanese manufacturing and marketing
rights to Milton, which is used to sterilize baby bottles, to KYORIN
PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD. Milton is the local market leader among this
type of sterilizing agent, with annual sales around $24.1 million.
Tokyo- headquartered Kyorin also acquired the Milton trademark and
manufacturing equipment from P&G's MAX FACTOR & CO.
subsidiary in Kobe.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare cleared LUTHER MEDICAL
PRODUCTS, INC. to sell its neonatal intravenous catheter. The 28 NN20
HFR, developed to address the specific requirements of the Japanese
market, is a 28- gauge, neonatal intravenous catheter that offers a
higher flow rate and greater ability to see the product under X-ray.
The Tustin, California maker expected to ship 3,000 catheters to
Japan initially.

OMEGA INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, INC., the developer of the ThruVU
system for detecting corrosion and erosion in insulated and bare
pipelines, has signed a technology licensing and marketing contract
with CXR CORP. ThruVU uses technology that the Lakemoor, Illinois
company refined to detect gamma radiation and X-rays as well as
mathematical computation, software algorithms and a mechanical
transport (crawler) system to identify pipeline defects. CXR, which
has been demonstrating ThruVU's capabilities at oil-refining
complexes, is marketing the system to oil and chemical plants, power
generation plants and other facilities with pipelines.